A black squirrel turned Comerica Park into the main attraction Monday night, and it did it during a Tigers-Orioles game.
Detroit was hosting Baltimore in a regular Major League Baseball matchup, but the action that had everyone locked in was happening on the field with the squirrel. It spent a while roaming around before things got even stranger when Baltimore third base coach Buck Britton fed it snacks.
Eventually, the grounds crew moved in to try to catch it. That proved to be a lot harder than it sounds.
As the scramble unfolded, Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti leaned all the way into the moment with a call that matched the chaos. “The chase for the squirrel is on," Benetti began.
"And the squirrel is in the corner and the squirrel is still eluding an entire horde of grounds crew members. And the squirrel is free once again.
Hemmed in? No, I won’t be hemmed in!
I have freedom on my mind! Trying to go between the legs and eventually he gets away again!
And hops through the towel! And hops through another towel."
The crowd noise told the rest of the story as the squirrel slipped away, then was finally captured. MLB later shared video of the scene, while the broadcast captured both Benetti’s call and the reaction from the stands.
Home plate umpire Bill Miller also took a moment to get on the microphone and thank the grounds crew for catching the squirrel.
In a 162-game season, little interruptions like this can break up the routine. On Monday night in Detroit, the squirrel was the one making sure nobody forgot the game.
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What has made the situation harder to ignore is the way Baltimore keeps running Ward out near the top of the order despite the lack of payoff, a choice that has fed the sense that the club is being too patient for its own good. With other options in the organization and the deadline approaching, the question is no longer just whether Ward can settle in, but whether the Orioles should stop waiting for that to happen and make a move now. [Read more 🡒]